Simon Heffer discusses the life and work of Alastair Sim, perhaps best remembered for a definitive interpretation of Scrooge.

Simon recalls the run of classic comedies in which Sim perfected his role as a slightly ambivalent, often incompetent and occasionally threatening presence: The Happiest Days Of Your Life, Laughter In Paradise, Captain Boycott and An Inspector Calls.

Simon concludes by revealing the little-known story of how Sim came to play the main roles in a film which has become a landmark of British cinema: The Belles Of St Trinian's.